Kim Petras talks religion, trans community ahead of Grammys

By KRYSTA FAURIA
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — For Kim Petras, 2022 was a big year. The singer-songwriter received her first Grammy nomination for her duet with Sam Smith, made her acting debut with the HBO series “Los Espookys” and released a single with acclaimed pop music producer Max Martin. Inspired by the irreverent attitude of her Grammy-nominated duet, “Unholy,” which she and Smith are set to perform at this weekend’s awards show, Petras decided to dive deeper into the waters of religious themes as she worked with Martin to write “If Jesus Was a Rockstar.” Petras is transgender and understands her subversive engagement with religion to be a way of processing trauma.